Pastry mailing container



March 12, 1957 w. H. LlNWOOD, JR.. ETAL 2,784,395

PASTRY MAILING CONTAINER Filed April 5, 195; z Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ W/ fczm f7. L/H'Wooo d/jci. Ear-bard kf/o/kwvd PASTRY MAILING CONTAINER William H. Linwood, Jr., and Barbara V. Holland, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application. April 5, 1955, Serial No. 499,300

1 Claim. (Cl. 229w14) This invention relates to shipping receptacles, and more particularly to an improved shipping container for cakes, pastry, and similar relatively fragile goods.

-The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved .shipping receptacle for pastry, cakes, and the like, said receptacle being simple in construction, being light in weight, and being sufiiciently sturdy in construction to adequately protect cakes, pastry and similar fragile articles shipped therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved shipping container for cakes, pastry, and the like, said container being inexpensive to fabricate, being relatively rigid although of light construction, and being arranged to support an article contained therein, such as a cake or the like, in a stationary position in the container, whereby the cake or similar article is prevented from be- :ing damaged by shifting therein.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is .a perspective view of a receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention, shown in packed condition, ready for mailing.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle of Figure 1 with the cover removed,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cover of 'the container of Figures 1 and 2, shown in inverted position.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a blank of cardboard or similar sheet material employed to form the main body of the container of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken through the closed container of Figure l.

Figure 6 is a top view of the container of Figure 2 with the auxiliary protective covering disc removed.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a completely packed shipping receptacle according to the present invention, said receptacle comprising a main container 12 and a flanged cover 13 fitting over the top edge of the main container. The main container 12 may be any suitable shape, and is shown, for example, as being rectangular in shape, the main container comprising a bottom wall 14 and respective upstanding side walls 15 which are fastened together to define the generally rectangular receptacle shown in Figure 2. Thus, the main container 12 may be formed from a cardboard blank 16 shaped in the manner illustrated in Figure 4, said blank having the four wing elements which are shaped to define the side walls 15, each wing element having a fastening flap 17 stormed with the pairs of slots 18, 18, said slots being registrable with similar slots 19, 19 formed in the margina1 portion of the adjacent wing element 15 when the wing elements are folded upwardly from the bottom wall 14 along the fold lines shown at 20. The flap elements 17 are fcldable with respect to the wall members 15 along fold lines 21, whereby the slots 18 and 19 may be registered and may be employed to receive staples or similar fastening elements, to secure the wing elements 15 in upstanding positions to define the receptacle of Figure 2.

United States Patent 0 Thus, as shown, vertical staples 22 may be engaged through the registering slots to fasten the walls 15; in upstanding positions.

Secured to the bottom wall 14 in any suitable manner is the. upstanding circular rib element 23 which may be made of cardboard or similar material of sufiicientrigitlity. Designated at 24 is a generally cylindrical auxiliary container made of card-board or the like, said auxiliary container being arranged to fit within the upstanding, circular rib element 23 and to be thus retained in a. centered position in the main container 12. The auxiliary container 24 is substantially the same height as the upstanding walls 15.

The cover 13 has secured to its main body the generally circular rib element 26, similar to the upstanding rib element 23, the rib element 26 being arranged to snugly receive the top marginal portion of the auxiliary container 24 when the cover 13 is placed on the main body 12 of the receptacle.

Thus, as shown in Figure 5, the auxiliary receptacle 24 is securely held against shifting in the main receptacle .12 by the engagement of the top and bottom marginal portions of the auxiliary receptacle in the respective rib elements 23 and 26.

Designated at 27 is an auxiliary, generally circular cover element which fits tightly within the auxiliary container 24 and may be positioned directly above a cake 28 positioned in the lower portion of the auxiliary container 24 to hold the cake against shifting vertically in the auxiliary container. Similarly, the auxiiiary cover element 27 may be employed in the same manner to hold other articles, such as cookies or similar articles of pas-try in the lower portion of the auxiliary container 24 and to prevent such articles from shifting their positions in the auxiliary container during transportation of the receptacle. Thus, damage to the articles is prevented.

Since the auxiliary cover 27 is held in place merely by friction, said cover is readily adjustable in accordance with the size or quantity of the articles placed in the auxiliary container 24.

After the article to be shipped is placed in the container in the manner illustrated in Figure 5, namely, with the auxiliary cover 27 engaged substantially on the top surface of the cake 28, or other article contained in the auxiliary receptacle 24, the flanged top cover 13 is placed on the main body 12 with the top portion of the auxiliary container 24 received in the depending rib element 26. Suitable twine 29, or any other suitable fastening means may be employed to secure the top cover 13 firmly in place on the main body 12 of the container during shipping.-

As is obvious from Figures 2 and 6, the auxiliary container 24 may be formed of a rectangular piece of cardboard or similar material, bent to substantially cylindrical shape with the opposite end margins thereof overlapping, said end margin being secured .by staples 30, or by other suitable fastening means, in overlapping positions, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 6.

While a specific embodiment of an improved shipping container for pastry or the like has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a shipping receptacle for pastry or the like, a generally rectangular main container formed from a single piece of flexible sheet material and comprising a square flat bottom wall section, respective rectangular wing elements extending from the respective margins of said bot tom wall section, each wing element defining a vertical wall of the container when folded to an upstanding position with respect to said bottom wall, each wing element having a marginal flap at one side thereof adapted to be folded into overlying engagement With the marginal portion of the next successive wing element, and means fasteningthe marginal flaps to the said marginal portions of the next successive Wing elements, whereby an upstanding square enclosure is defined, an upstanding substantially circular rib element secured to said bottom wall section and being spaced equal distances from said wing elements, a cylindrical shell element open at its top and bottom and shaped to be received within said rib element and of sufficient height to extend substantially to the top plane of said main container, a flanged cover arranged to fit over the top edge of said main container, said cover having a flat main body portion, and a depending substantially circular rib element centrally secured to said fiat main body portion and shaped to engage closely around the top portion of said shell element to hold said shell element against movement in the main container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 88,165 Hend'ryx Mar. 23, 1869 437.999 Kerns Oct, 7, 1890 909,664 Porter Jan. 12, 1909 989,287 Phipps Apr. 11, 1911 1,303,935 Meneice May 20, 1919 2,031,851 Plunkett Feb. 25, 1936 5 2,637,459 Jordan May 5, 1953 

